was an
infantry division in the
Imperial Japanese Army. Its
call sign was the .
History
The 20th Division and the
19th Division were raised on 24 December 1915 as a garrison force for
Korea. After Japan's victory in the
Russo-Japanese War, and subsequent occupation, and then
annexation of Korea, the need was felt for a dedicated garrison force, raised from people with local knowledge. The 20th Division was stationed in central Korea, in what is now
Yongsan-gu,
Seoul and was responsible for the security of southern Korea. Although officially raised in 1915, due to budgetary issues, the 20th Division existed only on paper until 1918.
After the
Manchurian Incident, its strength was increased by the addition of the 29th Infantry Regiment. In 1931, the 20th Division was stationed in the
Liaodong Peninsula at
Jinzhou. In 1937 it was present at the
Marco Polo Bridge Incident. However, in July 1937, without having seen any combat, it was withdrawn back to
Keijo.
In September, 1942, its 77th Infantry Regiment was elevated into the
30th Division. From 1943, the remainder of the 20th Infantry Division was transferred to the
Japanese Eighteenth Army in the Southern Area Command (
New Guinea). Of the approximately 25,000 men dispatched, only 1,711 survived the war. More men died in New Guinea from
malaria and
malnutrition than from combat with the Americans or Australians.
Organization
The original
order of battle for the 20th Division included:
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry......
...
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